Digital Mapping of Albania, seven companies compete

TIRANA, Dec.11 – The digital photographing of the Albanian territory will be assigned to a company through an open international tender. The project is worth up to 500 million leks ($5.4 million/4.1 million euro) and has drawn a total of seven bids, Agency for legalization, urbanization and integration of informal zones (ALUIZNI) said on Monday.
The seven bidders are: Croatian photogram-metric, geo-informatics, cartographic and cadastral services provider Geofoto, Austrian company Meixner Vermessung, Italian Compania Generale Riprese Aeree, French IGN France International, Italian SMA Basilicata, Israeli Operational Management & Crisis Containment System and a group of Japanese Pasco Corporation and Finnish Finnmap. Geofoto placed the lowest offer of 2.3 million euro, while Meixner Vermessung placed the highest offer of 4.0 million euro, the government in a statement.
ALUIZNI spokeswoman Edita Dedia said that “digital mapping will be the first ever (in the country). Without it the legalization will be impossible.” She added that pre-qualified bidders would be announced by the end of the week. The current Albanian government is trying to control the widespread illegal construction activity by a new legalizing initiative for housing and commercial sites built up without the necessary permits.